Posted on 10/06/2018 2:02:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Pentagon research project called "Insect Allies." Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the project involves using gene-editing techniques like CRISPR to infect insects with modified viruses that could help make America's crops more resilient. If a cornfield were hit by an unexpected drought or suddenly exposed to a pathogen, for example, Insect Allies might deploy an army of aphids carrying a genetically modified virus to slow the corn plant's growth rate.
According to the DARPA website, these "targeted therapies" could take effect in a single growing season, potentially protecting the American crop system from food security threats like disease, flooding, frost and even "threats introduced by state or non-state actors.
… Insect Allies, is less concerned. "Anytime you're developing a new and revolutionary technology, there is that potential for [both offensive and defensive] capability," Bextine told The Washington Post. "But that is not what we are doing. We are delivering positive traits to plants… We want to make sure we ensure food security, because food security is national security in our eyes."
Insect Allies is still in the early stages of development, and at least four U.S. colleges (Boyce Thompson Institute, Penn State University, The Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin)have received funding to carry out research. Bextine told The Washington Post that the project recently achieved its first milestone — testing whether an aphid could infect a stalk of corn with a designer virus that caused fluorescence. According to the Washington Post, "the corn glowed."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
LOL!
I remember when they suddenly started calling the number sign the “pound sign.” We never used # for pounds: we used Lb.
I’ll keep that in mind if I don’t hear from someone today.
It was either # before a ‘number’ or after an object, like ‘10# of potatoes.’ But I lived in a home where the men were involved in painting signs, like one would find back in the day on store front windows on butcher paper: Potatoes 10# bag, 10¢!
These days, its just a matter of preference, I guess.
Change is so annoying.
I have to water my tropical plant today.
When it comes to change, I’ll take chocolate.
If the sun would shine for longer than a day, I would seriously start thinking about my terrarium. I need something green around me, and that means something green that is low maintenance.
However, I’ll start to research it and take notes. I have the late Chuck’s (not to be confused with the current Chuck, the Manager) glass ginger jar. He had $72 in loose change in it. The money went to his son and I kept the jar.
12:55h utc
That’s why I said in a tagline that there are people around who never put anything into a collection plate, but they still expect change.
I wrote a check. At least I still have my checkbook, if not my phone.
These days, quite a few people spend more money with their phone than with their checkbook.
I’ve heard of that, but I still write checks.
The good news is that a fuddle regarding Spanish music has been sorted out. The bad news is that nobody has responded to my emails regarding my phone. It was a late night ...
And with that, the family is going on a non-optional outdoorsiness excursion.
That's why those feminazis with their #MeToo is so hilarious..
Watching “New Tricks,” and have “Midsomer Murders” on tap for early in the morning, the morning being washday and all...
;o])
There are more Midsomers on the way, they’re being filmed as of now. Waiting for the post production time is a killer.
Wait...wrong phrase, never mind.
Midsomer is good for the little grey cells. :)
Since they’re making more, I’m hoping John Nettles lives to be a forever kinda guy! He’s so laid back!!
I love trying to solve the mysteries, and there are many times when I’m right, more often than not. I attribute that to watching Alfred Hitchcock mysteries as a very short person.
Right now, I have Season 19, and will begin working backwards from there, because there are so many I haven’t seen. What fun!!!
(I’m thinking this doesn’t make much sense because I’m tired and I need to go get parallel to the deck. My left foot was swollen this morning, and that’s never a good sign. So I’m outta here for now!)
Ta!
With my brain as compromised as it is during relapses (to a lesser degree, any other time) I don't dare use my phone for much more than checking my account balances, if I'm not sure I have enough to buy something, but I always have to put in the password.
I know people who have everything on their phones, and I don't know why they would do that, with today's cyber criminals always waiting for a chance to steal IDs and bank accounts.
My phone has been found. I’m going to pick it up from the party hosts’ house.
Just back from a 5-mile hike. Wonderful afternoon for it.
Never take your phone to a place that’s a more fun party house than your own. It may not want to leave.
The party was a fundraiser for the Home Again Foundation, which is run mostly by people from our church.
John Nettles retired from Midsomer a while back.
The replacement is just as good. Different but good.
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